Dangerous Liaisons
by crypticxmetaphor
Summary: Anna Frog (bonus points if you get the references to her family) has hunted all kinds of monsters since she could hold a stake. Everything and I mean everything begins to change the day she meets Klaus, the Original vampire she can't seem to stop running into and maybe she doesn't want to stop.
1. Chapter 1 REWRITE

Oregon. 2011

I had been in this shit small town for three days. It shouldn't take this long to track a single vampire, but Dayville seemed intent on keeping me there. I preferred cities, but I couldn't leave until the bloodsucker was dead, even if I wanted to. My father and uncle would never speak to me again. See, hunting was a family business and they taught me everything they knew. But they were merely vampire hunters, famous ones, but vampire hunters. I learned to hunt everything that goes bump in the night. And somehow, these things always found me.

I don't think the vampire had yet noticed that I was hunting him. You would think in a small town like Dayville, gossip about a stranger would be on everyone's lips. Yet there was not one word. He must have compelled people to forget about him. The civilians seemed to have forgotten about the recent string of murders as well. That's why it was taking so long. I had to watch for anything out of the ordinary; maybe a man who never paid for a drink or the town womanizer. I found him living alone on the outskirts of town. Alone, just as my experience taught me he would be. My only tactical advantage was surprise; that's usually how it was for all monsters. If they weren't strong, they could see better, smell better, or move faster.

So what is the last thing a vampire expects from a human hunter? A frontal attack. I knocked on his door. "Who are you?" grunted a man with shoulder length black hair and blood staining his chin.

"Anna Frog," I answered promptly. He had compelled me to answer. The vervain in my system prevented me from truly being compelled, but he didn't know that. "Are you Aaron McKay?"

He nodded, eyes twinkling mischievously. "What can I do for you beautiful?"

I fluttered my eyelashes as the stake dropped from inside my sleeve and I shoved it into his chest. The vampires gasped, eyes widening. His had clutched at the stake, but it was too late. He had already began to turn to ash. Once he had disintegrated, I picked up the stake and lifted my shirt to wipe the sweat from my forehead. Vampires were idiots.

Out on my periphery, I noticed a confrontation and instinctively assumed a defensive position. How had I let someone get so close to me without noticing? Carefully, stake at the ready, I stalked over to the two men. When they were within my range of vision, I noticed a body on the ground. He was a bout about my age, early twenties. There was a hole in his chest and his heart laid beside him. The body wasn't disappearing so I was able to deduce that he wasn't a bloodsucker. I looked up as his attacker appeared next to me. His speed gave him away as something more than human. I first noticed his defined cheekbones and full lips, then my eyes traveled up to his blue eyes and blond hair. He wore a dark gray tshirt with a couple necklaces tucked into his collar. I spent too long observing him. The one second it took me to decide he was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen cold have been the one second it took him to kill me.

"I'm sorry, luv," the vampire said. "Was he yours?"

"Who are you?" I demanded when I should have been trying to stake him.

He licked his lips and then smiled slowly. "My name is Klaus."

I backed away as though those two steps would save my life. Original vampires were supposed to be a myth; a ghost story hunters told their children. Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah: the children of the Devil. If rumor were to be believed, Klaus was an impulsive psychopath known for torturing anyone who crossed him, including other vampires.

"Ah, so you've heard of me," he grinned and began licking the blood off of his hand without breaking eye contact.

I shuddered, but it wasn't from fright.

He sped forward pushing me back against a tree. I could feel the rough bark digging into my back, but I dared not move forward. There was only an inch of space between us and his bloodied hand rested on the trunk near my face. "I wonder what you taste like, hunter," he hissed.

"If you're going to kill me, then do it!" I spat.

"I meant between your thighs," he breathed into my ear.

His warm breath tickled my neck and I couldn't help myself. I thought about it and my heart began to pound. Death didn't scare me, I faced it nearly every day in my line of work, but no one ever tried to flirt with a girl with a face tattoo. I didn't know how to react. I would have been more comfortable if he just attacked me.

He must have heard my heart pick up its pace because his upper lip curled into a smirk that could make any girl's heart flutter. "I'll see you soon, hunter," he promised and leaned in as if he were going to kiss me. At the last second he pulled away and disappeared into the woods.

I didn't dare breathe until he was completely out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2 REWRITE

Boston 2011

It was a ghost that brought me back to Boston. I used to love this city until I realized what a cesspool of cruel spirits it was. It couldn't hold a light to New York, but was still an impossible place to live. I pulled up outside of the apartment building in the South End, armed with rock salt rounds and iron blades. A woman I had helped out a while back had given me this address, when she realized shit had been going on that was not natural. I hated ghosts even more than vampires. Ghosts you had to investigate, find out who they were, why they were angry, and where they were buried. Sometimes, they had never been buried and I had to find their fucking childhood doll to burn instead.

I noticed a vampire feeding in the alley, but kept my head down and pretended not to notice. One fight at a time was a good way not to get killed. He dropped the girl and moved toward me. I instinctively drew my knife and turned to meet him. He skidded to a stop right in front of me, like a ship coming out of warp-speed. Once I saw that it was Klaus, I lowered my defenses. I was not about to pick a fight with a creature I knew I couldn't kill. He was just as beautiful to look at as when I first met him; his long sleeve cotton shirt, hanging off his body in all the right places.

"Hello, luv," he grinned. "You know, I'm the only vampire here, so your services aren't required. Well, not the killing ones…"

"There's a ghost that needs to be re-killed in there," I pointed my thumb towards the old building.

He smiled, a false gesture of manners. "You deal with all kinds of supernatural scum? Like witches? You see-"

"I'm not going to be your hitman," I cut him off.

He shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Can't blame a bloke for trying, can you?"

"What are you doing here? What do you want from me," I sighed. "I thought you had let me go."

He shook his head. "I let you live. There's a big difference. I would never let someone as beautiful as you go. Especially not without knowing your name."

"Anna Frog," I told him, hoping it would appease him and he would let me go. "Now, Niklaus, can I get back to work?" I let his full name slip out in an attempt to show him I was not a fool; I had done my homework.

His demeanor immediately changed and he snarled at me. His eyes flashed and his fangs protruded from under his lip, but I remained unintimidated.

"How do you know my full name?" He demanded grabbing me by my upper arms. "I let no one call me by it!"

"I just did," I pointed out even though his grip was hurting me. "It's amazing what you can find out with a little bit of research."

He growled and pushed me away with a shove. "You're lucky I have a soft spot for pretty girls."

My heart sank as I watched him walk away. I did mean to upset him, but just enough to show that I wasn't scared of him. I had no idea that he had would be so sensitive about it. "I'm sorry?" I called after him. I punched the side of the building, my knuckles colliding with the brick. I hissed in pain as the skin scraped from my hand. I needed to know what I was feeling. Pain; pain was the proper response to hitting the side of a building and that's exactly what I felt. Calmed down and more in control of myself, I entered the apartment complex, ready to seek out a ghost. "Niklaus," I couldn't help, but mutter. "Niklaus." It was a beautiful name.


	3. Chapter 3 REWRITE

Toronto 2012

Despite all of my travelling, I did own a small apartment in Canada. The fridge was always empty and I had more weapons than furniture. I slept on a mattress without a frame and in nothing but a tshirt, but I kept a firm grip on the dagger under my pillow.

I sat up in bed, dagger at the ready and realized it must have been the knocking at the door that woke me up. I debated whether I should pretend I wasn't not at home or go and answer it, after all it was two in the morning. I moved as silently as I could towards the front door. Clutch the knife in my hand, I peered through the peephole.

I whipped the door open. Knowing a vampire couldn't enter without an invitation, I would be safe. "How did you find me, Niklaus?"

"It's amazing what you can find out with a little bit of research," he smirked. His eyes ran over my inked legs, lingering on my upper thighs. He bit his lip and knew I was enjoying the attention. "Now invite me in."

"Why would I do that? I'm not suicidal," I scoffed.

"Anna, luv," he sighed. "I could have killed you any time in the past year, but I have not. Now let me in."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Fine. Come in," I said through gritted teeth. I had a feeling he would stand there all night, pestering me until I did gave in to his demand.

He ran in and pinned me against the wall, causing me to gasp. "You might want to put some pants on, you're tempting me," he said, looking at my lips.

I wrapped the collar of his shirt in my fingers and pulled him closer. "This is my home. You'll control yourself," I hissed and then ducked out from under his arm, freeing myself. "Now why are you here?"

"I've been looking for someone for centuries who has recently resurfaced," he explained. "I was wondering if you had heard anything."

"A centuries old vampire is very vague," I pointed out. "I'm going to need more than that."

"Katerina Petrova, born 1473, Bulgaria. She's been stateside for at least 150 years now and goes by Katherine Pierce."

The name sounded familiar. In fact, I was pretty sure Uncle Allan had been on her trail for a while. But even more recently I could have sworn someone had telling me about her. "Aw, you're looking for your girlfriend," I teased. I bit my tongue as soon as the words left my mouth, realizing I had gotten too comfortable, too familiar with him.

"She was never my girlfriend," he sneered.

"I need to make a couple calls, but I've heard about her," I back pedaled, trying to placate him.

My first call is to my uncle, asking if he knew who was hunting Kathrine now that he had moved on to other targets. Powerful creatures like her got tagged and followed. You needed to recruit other hunters and devise a real plan to take down old vampires. I watched as Klaus made himself at home and began rifling through my fridge. God, it had been so long since I had gotten laid. He came out with two beers. I was pretty sure they were the only things in there aside from the other four bottles of the six-pack. I couldn't be sure though because I had no idea how long they had been in there. I hung up with Allan and dialed Orin, the hunter he had directed me towards as Klaus opened the bottles with his fangs and handed one to me. I accepted just as Orin answered his end of the phone.

"Wow, Anna, been a while," Orin said.

"I know and sorry to disappoint, but this is a business call," I replied. "You were hunting that vampire Kathrine, right?"

"Yeah, I'm in Santa Monica right now," he answered. "Why? You want in?"

I chuckled. I only went after creatures I knew I could kill. "No, but I know someone who does."

"Well, I'm always down for help."

We hung up and I told Klaus that is Katherine was in Santa Monica although he had probably been eavesdropping on the conversation anyway. "Thank you. How can I repay you?" he asked, gently stroking my arm.

"You can owe me one," I pulled away. "Leave your number."

He stood suddenly and startled me. He leaned towards me the seductive way he always did as if he was going to kiss me or tell me a secret. He did neither: "You already have it," he motioned to the fridge and departed, leaving his half-full bottle.

I looked over to the fridge and scribbled on a scrap of paper, held up by the bottle opener magnet, is a phone number.


	4. Chapter 4 REWRITE

Mystic Falls 2012

I used Klaus's number for the first time while I was driving through Virginia. I realized after the fact that I should have asked him for the information I needed before beginning the hunt. My stomach turned as the phone rang. I never wanted to use the number. In fact, I would have been content to never see the vampire again. He made me feel all jumbled up inside and question my morals.

"Hello?" the English voice answered.

"Nik? It's Anna," I bit my lip as I waited for a reply.

"Anna, luv, what can I do for you?" I could almost hear him smirking in victory.

"I'm cashing in on that favor you owe me," I explained, trying to squash any immoral ideas he might have. "I'm in Virginia, on my way to Damascus and I need some information."

He chuckled and I grew more nervous. This was a bad idea, trusting a vampire. "Funny thing, darling, I'm also in Virginia. Get to Mystic Falls and I'll tell you anything you want."

"See you soon." I hung up, wondering where on the map Mystic Falls was. I pulled out my map and saw that I had already passed it. I would have to backtrack to get there. I growled as I crumpled it up and threw it in the general direction of the passenger's side. His information better be good.

I arrived closer to midnight, so I booked a motel instead of hunting the original vampire down. I postponed that until noon the next day when I drove into the center of town. I wanted to see the town before I called him. I wanted an exit strategy, but at the moment I had no bearings, no idea where I was.

I spotted him while I was driving down Main Street. He walked into what looked like a sports bar called the Mystic Grill. Clever. I sucked it up and decided to talk to him. I pulled over into a nearby parking spot and grabbed my case file. I spotted him immediately, well I spotted his back. His shirt was stretched across his shoulder blades as he hunched over the bar. I strutted up beside him.

"Guinness," I told the bartender, a young blond boy I was not sure was old enough to be serving alcohol, as I took a seat next to Klaus. "He's buying," I put a hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"Anna," he grinned and kissed my cheek. "Don't you look ravishing **?"**

"Here," I brushed him off and slide him the file.

He began flipping through the crime scene photos of emaciated bodies. "What's this?" he asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I've never seen anything like it before," I admitted, studying the photos again, looking over his shoulder. He smelled so good. I thought vampires were supposed to smell like death.

"I can find out, but it's going to take more than two phone calls," he replied, grinning mischievously.

"What do you want?" I found myself asking.

"There's a ball tonight at my place. 7 o'clock."

I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the stool until I realized he wasn't laughing. He was dead serious about me going. "No," I stood up. "No way in hell."

"If you're denying me because you have nothing to wear, there's a dress waiting for you at that sleazy motel," he called after me as I left the bar.

I turned around just long enough to reply. "Oh my god! I don't want to know how!"

The motel manager did indeed have a box for me. Inside was a gown and a small card with his address printed on it. I had to try the dress on. I loved dresses, but I didn't get to wear them because they restricted my movement too much. It was a strapless gown with a corseted top and a skirt with about five layers of tulle. Normally, I wore shirts that would cover most of my tattoos, except of course for the ones on my neck and chin, but in this gown you could see the runes and glyphs that spread across my chest and back, over my shoulders and down my arms. It was beautiful. I looked beautiful- and ridiculous.

His house was not difficult to find. It was the biggest in the town, maybe even the state. It wasn't so much a mansion as a manor house. I pulled up in my Jeep Rubicon, towering over the other party-goers and their rides, earning me several stares. Just the sound of the engine announced my arrival. I was greeted by a valet and although I handed him my keys it still took several minutes before I could enter the party.

"I can park it myself," I offered.

"No, no," the dweeby boy said. "Tom drives stick. He'll be back in a minute. You'd have to walk all the way back. Just wait. Tom drives stick."

I sighed and stood tapping my foot, wondering if Klaus realized I was here yet. When I finally got inside, I was greeted by him nearly immediately. "You came," he grinned, but raised his eyebrows at my dress.

It was black silk with a slit nearly all the way up the side and it had one strap that went over my left shoulder, just enough to keep it up without the help of my boobs. It took a while to find, but it was the only dress for me. It allowed me access to the knives strapped to my calf and thigh, but I was more under armed than I was comfortable with for entering the house of a family of vampires.

"I don't know if you were drunk or high thinking I would show up in something I couldn't fight in," I told him.

His upper lip twitched. "One can hope. Let me introduce you to my family."

I was presented to Elijah first. He frowned as he shook my hand, but did not make any rude remark, disapproving of my presence like I had expected. Finn, the eldest, came next. "Pleasure," he kissed the top of my hand stiffly and only because it was expected of him.

Klaus's only sister, Rebekah insisted on introducing herself next. "You are far too pretty to be here with him," she said referring to Klaus.

"It's only a favor," I assured her that I wasn't actually attached to him.

Kol shooed away his sister to shake my hand enthusiastically. "Ah, darling, it's a wonderful pleasure to meet a hunter!" he declared. "It takes guts to come to a vampire ball. It's lovely to meet such a brave girl."

"That's enough, Kol," Klaus pried my hand away from his brother and taking it in his own, guided me away from his siblings.

"They seem like nice people," I said, letting the sarcasm ring in every word.

He chuckled. "Come, Elijah is going to make a toast and then we must dance."

I wrinkled my nose. "I never agreed to dancing."

"You're at a ball, Anna, what did you expect?" he laughed at me.

I shrugged, but followed him into the foyer where he ascended the stairs to stand alongside his family.

Klaus and I moved together in a waltz, appropriately close for the occasion. I wasn't afraid and let myself enjoy the feeling of his hand on my lower back and my hand in his.

"You have more tattoos than I originally thought," he commented. He had obviously seen the ones on my legs last time we met, but now the ones covering the upper half of my body were exposed.

"They're for protection against magic and demons," I explained.

"And the one on your chin?" he pried.

I smiled at the memory of that one. "It's from a native tribe. There was a demon possession on their rez. It's very important to them. This way the ancestors will recognize me and welcome me into heaven when I die. It keeps my soul from getting lost."

Klaus twirled me around on the beat change and despite my lack of dancing experience, I landed safely back in his arms.

"Did you look into my problem in Damascus?" I asked. "Women are dropping like flies."

"It's a Gancanagh, a type of fey," he told me. "The people are addicted to him and when they don't get enough attention they wither and then commit suicide."

"And how do I kill it?" I pose my most important question.

He shook his head. "If I tell you now you will bolt before the end of the party."

"I, Anna, do so swear, that I will not dip out early from Niklaus's ball before the end of the night," I said, smiling as he chuckled.

"A blessed Ronan stake," he answered as the song ended.


	5. Chapter 5 REWRITE

Toronto 2013

I cuddled into him, resting my head on his bare chest. His arm was around my waist, holding onto me tightly and the other reached across his body, drawing circles on my shoulder. His body, his arm against mine; I decided that I didn't need to follow up on a demon lead because everything I needed was right here. I looked up, intending to kiss him and saw the man I was holding onto was Klaus. There was blood on his chin. I screamed and jumped back out of bed, putting a hand to my neck. My fingers came away covered in blood.

"You were delicious, luv," he smirked at me.

I screamed again and sat up in bed, knife held out in front of me. I was alone and my neck was fine. I told myself it was okay because it was just a dream. But it wasn't just a dream, it felt so real.

I dialed the vampire up, pissed. My dreams were supposed to be my time away from monsters. I felt violated like he had invaded my privacy.

"Ah, luv, I was wondering when I was going to hear from you," he answered.

"Stay the fuck out of my head!" I yelled.

"I'm not in your head, sweetheart, I'm in New Orleans," he chuckled. "Just moved here actually and it's been quite good to me. Especially since I'm half werewolf again. You should visit. I'd love to see your pretty face, maybe any other tattoos you've got hiding."

"I don't want to visit you, I want to sleep in peace," I growled.

"Well that seems like a personal issue," he said and I could hear his smug smile in his voice. It only made me angrier. "We were having sex in your dream?"

I punched the wall since I couldn't punch him. I didn't know what I expected, calling him in the middle of the night. "That sounds more like your dream," I sneered, trying to recover.

I heard another voice on his end of the line, but knew better than to ask about something that wasn't my business. "Listen, luv, I've got to go, but if you don't want me in your head, maybe you shouldn't call me at two in the morning, but don't let that stop you from keeping in touch."

My frustration boiled inside of me, but he spoke again before I could get a word out.

"I'll see you soon, Anna, darling," he promised before hanging up.

I calmed down when he was no longer on the line. Calling him accomplished nothing. In fact, I was sure I only made things worse. There was no way I could sleep now. Even looking at my mattress made me cringe. My subconscious had let him feed on me in my own bed, crossing a line that was way past sleeping with him. I grabbed my keys and hoodie and shimmied into some pants before heading out. There had to be some monster murdering an oblivious human somewhere


	6. Chapter 6 REWRITE

Kraemer 2014

"Driving. Not a good time," I answered my cellphone only to shut it up after it rang for the third time.

"I think my problem is a little more important than your fear of being pulled over by a cop," responded the sardonic English voice. "You see, your cop will be human, most likely, but I'm dealing with witches."

I sighed. What had he been up to? "If you're still in New Orleans, I'll help out. I'm in Kraemer dealing with a Windigo, but I'm not driving across the country for a guy I haven't spoken to in a year."

"Sorry, luv, I've had family things. I'll tell you everything when you get here. Go kill the cannibalistic fucker so we can be killers together," he laughed.

"Let's get one thing straight. I might be a killer, but I'm a vigilante; you're just a serial murderer," I retorted.

He laughed again, letting me have the one small victory before hanging up.

Windigos aren't hard to track, only hard to kill. Standing alone in the forest, I found myself wishing for a partner. The thing could eat me and no one would know. No, I shook my head. I can't think thoughts like that, they will gnaw away at me and create a weak spot.

It came for me like I knew it would. It was hard to not stand defensively, to look vulnerable. It took my feet out from under me before I even saw it and I scrambled back to my feet before it came at me again. This time when it charged, I was able to cut it. It yelped, but took a chunk out of my shoulder as well. I tried to ignore the blood, but I could feel it seeping through my shirt. I was able to land a few more blows, before realizing I was severely outmatched. I was growing tired, but the creature didn't seem to be slowing down. Before panic could set in, I made a determined leap at it, intending to take it with me. My knife went through its head, under its chin and up into the brain. It fell back and before I could enjoy my victory, everything went cold. Its talons had ripped through my abdomen and I was losing blood, fast. I stumbled backwards, holding onto my wound as though that would stop the bleeding. I knew I was a goner when black spots started clouding my vision. They cleared for a moment and I saw blue in front of me. It took another moment to realize I was on the ground and that blue was the sky. I didn't want to die. I began to hyperventilate, panicking because there was nothing I could do, I couldn't even stand. No one was even going to know that I died. Klaus's face appeared above me. I didn't know what was going on in my subconscious, but I thanked it for giving me a better vision than one of blood.

"No! No! No!" he cried.

I tried to tell him not to worry, but blood bubbled up in my mouth and I began to choke, throwing myself into a coughing fit.

Hallucination Klaus offered me his hand which was bleeding profusely.

I shook my head. I was dying and would die human.

"Drink," he commanded.

Against my will, my mouth opened and I put my lips to his skin.


	7. Chapter 7 REWRITE

New Orleans 2014

I woke up and my body didn't hurt. I couldn't feel the stiffness of dried blood on my shoulder or abdomen. It didn't hurt to breathe. I looked to my side and saw Klaus. Those eyes. I remembered everything.

"You asshole!" I shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You compelled me to drink your blood?"

"You wouldn't have drank it if I left the choice up to you," he answered calmly.

I moved to stand from the bed, quicker than I had ever moved in my life. I tried to hit him, but I stumbled, surprised by my own speed and strength, and he grabbed my wrists. "Of course not!" I kept struggling. "I've hunted vampires, monsters, all my life. Now I am one?"

He didn't reply, only slide a ring onto my finger. "That is a daylight ring, never take it off. I had it made while you were asleep."

"Dead," I corrected and then asked: "Why?" I wasn't sure if I was questioning God, or just asking myself the question.

Klaus smirked, but it didn't seem genuine. "Come on, luv? You haven't figured it out? Come. You have to feed to complete the transition."

I shook my head. "Then I'll die like I was supposed to." As the words left my mouth, I felt them fall flat. I didn't want to die; it was scary enough the first time, but I was not going to kill humans after protecting them for so many years.

"I'll bring you the blood," he offered, knowing my thoughts. "But promise me you'll stay here."

"No human blood," I said. "Niklaus, promise me, you will not kill anyone," I repeated when he didn't respond. "Promise me it'll be animal blood."

He nodded and left me alone in the strange room.

I sat back on the bed. The mattress was extremely squishy and I considered going back to sleep, but I wanted to use this opportunity to snoop. He seemed to own a lot of books, old books, but nothing useful. There was a first edition of The Count of Monte Cristo and a signed copy of Dorian Gray. They were interesting and I was jealous, but there was nothing informative like I was hoping for. Across his desk were notebooks and drawing supplies. Sketches on loose pieces of paper littered the space. His renderings of people were highly realistic and I picked one up. My eye is drawn first to the tattoos and it caused me to think that it's a drawing of myself. Upon closer inspection I realized that it actually was me. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by the brightness of the room. It was loud, too. Cars rushing by and a thousand voices. I yelped, clapping my hands over my ears and sank to the ground. But that left me vulnerable to all the smells of the city: sweat, beer, shit, dogs, cum, sage, meat, gasoline. It was awful.

"Hey, hey." Someone was tugging on my wrists, removing my hands from my ears.

I hadn't realized my eyes were closed until I opened them to see Klaus. "No," I whimpered, shaking my head. "It's too loud."

"It's okay, luv," he said. "Focus on my voice. Just my voice."

I watched his lips as he spoke and all the other sounds faded away. I did the same thing to block out the city smell, focusing on just his scent.

"Better?" he asked gently and I nodded, biting back tears. "It'll get easier." His eyes landed on the piece of paper that had floated to the floor next to me. "It's not finished yet," he commented, picking it up and rubbing the negative space gently with his thumb. "I couldn't remember all of your tattoos."

"It's really good," I told him as the smell of blood began to overwhelm me. On the desk sat a glass filled with the dark liquid.

He followed my gaze and brought it over to me. "You need this."

"You're not going to compel me to drink it?" I sneered, not sure where the anger came from.

"I'm sensing some hostility, luv. You need that blood. I don't need to compel you," he explained. "I promise I will never compel you again. You have my word."

I accepted the glass and began drinking it slowly. The small sips soon turned into chugging. When the glass was empty a second later, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I felt strong, better than I ever have before, but then it hit me; I had just drank blood. My stomach churns and I put a hand to my mouth, thinking I might vomit, but it soon passes.

"Full-fledged vampire," Klaus grinned at me. "Come. There are people I need you to meet."


	8. Chapter 8 REWRITE

The house was set up like army barracks, but on a smaller scale. We exited the room and appeared on a balcony that ran the perimeter of the house. On the first floor was an open courtyard decorated with patio furniture and doors lining it, parallel to the ones on the balcony.

"I am the King of New Orleans, sweetheart, and this compound, my castle," he guided me towards his brother Elijah and a dark-haired girl. "Anna, I would like you to meet Hayley," he presented her and while keeping a hand on my lower back and whispering in my ear. The words are barely audible, no louder than a breath and had I still been human, I would have heard nothing. "She is the mother of my child and engaged to the werewolves' alpha. Only my family knows that Hayley is alive," he warned me.

I shook her hand politely, but inwardly ground my teeth.

"It's nice to see you again," Elijah said emotionlessly. "Klaus, may I have a word?"

"It must be strange, your first day as a vampire," Hayley tried to make small talk. "They say all your emotions are heightened."

I shook my head. "I've always been pretty temperate in my emotions, I don't like this feeling."

She laughed. "Clearly you had some emotions because they're coming out now."

I looked around the compound. There are several other vampires in the corners. I needed to get out of here. I assessed the number of creatures and exit points. They are all older and stronger than me, but I was able to best plenty of vampires as a human. Before I could make a move, Klaus returns to my side and excuses us.

"Why did you tell me a secret like that?" I asked, referring to his child. I'm not even sure how he could have a child, but that was the least of my problems. Being a blood-sucking beast trumped anything else at the moment.

"Because if I keep secrets from you, you won't trust me and then you'll leave," he explained. "I know how to get what I want, darling. Mostly it involves my power or threats of violence to keep people loyal to me. But you will not put up with anything less than honesty. You're different; you've never been afraid of me."

"I don't want to be here," I told him.

"You don't really have a choice, sweetheart. You still need to help me with my witch problem," he winked.

"And here I was beginning to think that you saved me because you liked me," I sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

The house was set up like army barracks, but on a smaller scale. We exited the room and appeared on a balcony that ran the perimeter of the house. On the first floor was an open courtyard decorated with patio furniture and doors lining it, parallel to the ones on the balcony.

"I am the King of New Orleans, sweetheart, and this compound, my castle," he guided me towards his brother Elijah and a dark-haired girl. "Anna, I would like you to meet Hayley," he presented her and while keeping a hand on my lower back and whispering in my ear. The words are barely audible, no louder than a breath and had I still been human, I would have heard nothing. "She is the mother of my child and engaged to the werewolves' alpha. Only my family knows that Hayley is alive," he warned me.

I shook her hand politely, but inwardly ground my teeth.

"It's nice to see you again," Elijah said emotionlessly. "Klaus, may I have a word?"

"It must be strange, your first day as a vampire," Hayley tried to make small talk. "They say all your emotions are heightened."

I shook my head. "I've always been pretty temperate in my emotions, I don't like this feeling."

She laughed. "Clearly you had some emotions because they're coming out now."

I looked around the compound. There was absolutely no one else here. It felt like a prison. I needed to get out of here. I assessed the exit points, but Klaus and Elijah were both Originals. I probably didn't stand a chance, even though I had been able to best plenty of vampires as a human. Before I could make a move, Klaus returned to my side and excused us.

"Why did you tell me a secret like that?" I asked, referring to his child. I'm not even sure how he could have a child, but that was the least of my problems. Being a blood-sucking beast trumped anything else at the moment.

"Because if I keep secrets from you, you won't trust me and then you'll leave," he explained. "I know how to get what I want, darling. Mostly it involves my power or threats of violence to keep people loyal to me. But you will not put up with anything less than honesty. You're different; you've never been afraid of me."

"I don't want to be here," I told him.

"You don't really have a choice, sweetheart. You still need to help me with my witch problem," he winked.

"And here I was beginning to think that you saved me because you liked me," I sighed.

"Never said I didn't," he smirked. He guided me back upstairs where we could speak in private.

We entered a sort of drawing room. I wasn't sure what all the different rooms should be called, my best guest was from books and movies. I'd never been in a house with more than six rooms and couldn't imagine what else there was other than a dining room and a living room. Klaus poured us drinks and immediately the smell of alcohol burned my nostrils. I crinkled up my nose and took a step back.

"You'll get used to it, luv," he handed me a glass.

I took it, but didn't drink. "Not sure if I want to," I mumbled. "So what is this witch problem anyway?"

"My sister is in some witch's body somewhere in the city. I cannot trust Kol even more so now that he's a witch again. Finn, also now a witch, is sure to be after us imminently after what I've done to our mother. Along with my Aunt Dahlia, a ghost story which now might be true. She'll want to steal Hope," Klaus explained.

I scoffed. "That sounds less like a problem and more like you're royally fucked. What do you want me to do about it?"

"You said your tattoos protect you against magic, right?" he said.

"Yeah?" I had no idea where he was going with this. "But they can still use magic on anything else to use against me."

"Well you're a vampire now; you should be fine," he smirked at me. "I want them dead."

"That's quite the laundry list you have for me," I commented, not fully intending on following through. I put my lips to the rim of the glass just because I was uncomfortable and looking for something to do.

"I'm not going to leave you to do it alone." Klaus took a couple steps forward, closing the space between us. "I look forward to working with you, Anna," he breathed and my own breath caught in my throat.


	10. Chapter 10

I studied the tall kid in front of me. This wasn't Kol. Not the Kol I had met and Klaus's mansion and yet by the way he smirked at me, I knew it was him. I stood awkwardly between him and Klaus, completely unsure of where this was going. Apparently Kol was going to be helping, but I was more focused on the dozens of creatures pouring into the compound downstairs. There were wolves and vampires; I could smell the wolves and I was focused on limiting my senses how Klaus had taught me.

Another man entered the room, distracting me from watching Klaus make peace with Kol. This man was tall like the others, black with short hair, and well dressed. With a flick of his wrist, the bottle Klaus had given to Kol smashed. I growled defensively, but the man paid me no mind.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Finn, please join us," Klaus greeted sarcastically and at the same time subtly pointed out this was the brother Finn he was at odds with. "My, my, you look peaky. Doesn't he look peaky?"

"He does look peaky," Kol agreed.

"Are you feeling alright?" Klaus asked.

I bit my lip to keep from giggling. I had never seen the brothers interact like this before. The casual ease that Kol and Klaus teamed up with and their blasé disregard for Finn, their sarcasm- it was hysterical.

"Don't make me ask again," Finn sneered.

I looked at Klaus, wondering what he wanted from me. He nodded at me so I rushed the man and pinned him against the wall by his neck. He tried to push me away using magic, but my body didn't budge. "That's cute," I smirked and squeezed harder.

"I assume you're referring to our mother," Klaus said. "Fear not. She's tucked away somewhere perfectly safe. You'll never find her. Let him go."

I did as I was told and dropped Finn.

"You think you've won," he said, rubbing his sore neck. "Let's see how long that arrogance lasts, brother." He turned his back on us.

I followed to see where he was going, standing on the balcony while he walked through the creatures in the courtyard. He was speaking, but I had been so focused on tuning out the lower level earlier, I could not easily hear him. I watched as he pressed to of his fingers together and then pressed his hand to the wall as he backed through the entryway. The house shook and I held onto the railing in front of me as though my life depended on it. When the ground once again felt stable I returned to the room with Kol and Klaus.

"Did he really just trap us all in here?" Kol asked.

"He certainly did," Klaus grimaced.

"You should have let me kill him," I said.

Klaus shook his head. "I only wanted you to test your tattoos."

I leapt at him; suddenly entirely consumed with anger. _He didn't know that I wasn't going to get hurt_.

Klaus effortlessly constrained me, stopping my attack. "Easy now," he breathed as he brushed my bangs back from my face. "I'd avenge you."

"You complete ass!" I growled and pulled away from him.

"So when did you two get together?" Kol asked.

"We're not!" I snarled at him.

Klaus smirked at me and I wanted to tear out his throat. "It's only a matter of time, luv."

I didn't try to attack him, not wanting to antagonize him further. "So what do we do about the barrier?" I changed the subject.

"Do me a favor, Anna, try to put your hand out the window," Klaus said. "I want to know if this affects you."

"Of course it does. He didn't magic us, he magicked the house," I grumbled, but put my hand to the window anyway. As I reached the barrier, my palm started to burn. I yelped at pulled it back.

Klaus ran forward to inspect the damage, but it was already healing. "You're a witch, Kol," Klaus said and realized my hand, satisfied that I was alright. "Fix it."

"And what the bloody hell do you want me to do about it?" Kol sighed.

Klaus turned on him. It was terrifying to see him threaten the brother who he had just been joking with without changing the tone of his voice. "Well considering the crowd, you'll be more motivated to find a solution. After all, I can easily outwait our brother's antics. You, on the other hand, might look appetizing to some of our fellow prisoners.

Kol eyed me warily. "I'm gonna need some help."

Kol left the room to call his help and Klaus spotted Hayley on the balcony so he went to speak with her.

I gulped. I didn't want to accidently kill anyone. I wished that I was still human; this would be so much easier. Not to mention that Klaus was right; it was only a matter of time. I already began to feel sympathetic towards him and even before now, all of our interactions were flirtatious. I felt torn between what I had been taught and practiced my entire life and what I was currently experiencing. I wanted to kill and be powerful. Everything Klaus told me about being a vampire made perfect sense. I wasn't a monster, only higher up on the food chain. But the other half of me didn't want to embrace my new powers. The other part of me felt disgusted with myself for becoming a monster.

The house tensed around me. I stood and ran to the balcony to see what was happening. Klaus was in the courtyard now, among the vampires and wolves. Kol was in the entry way, reciting an incantation with another witch. Kol was jolted back from the barrier. I could tell by his grimace that it hadn't worked.

My stomach sank; I could feel my craving for blood return. My throat was dry and itchy. I moved back into the room to try and compose myself. Klaus appeared in the doorway.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm getting hungry," I admitted.

He smiled gently. "I forgot how often young vampires feed. Come here."

I did as I was told and he met me halfway. He pulled up the sleeve of his cotton tshirt and offered me his wrist. I shook my head. I didn't want to take blood from him.

"You'll need it. We're not getting out of here anytime soon," he said and with his other hand reached out to pull me towards him.

I grabbed his forearm with both my hands, but hesitated before biting. Klaus moved his other hand onto my back and urged me on. I sank my fangs into his wrist and the blood immediately began pouring from him. It tasted better than the animal blood I had been drinking. In fact it was the best thing I had ever tasted. I allowed myself to get lost in the sweetness and the warmth until I heard his voice calling me back. Embarrassed, I dropped his arm and used the back of my hand to wipe the blood off my chin.

"Better?" he asked.

I nodded, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"Anna." He put a finger under my chin, pushing my head up until I looked at him.

Our eyes connected and my words stuck in my throat. Thankfully, though, his seemed to as well. His cell phone rang; shattering the connection. He answered his phone, no longer looking at me, but not releasing me either.

"Elijah," he said. "I trust everything is well."

"Rebekah's gone," I heard the voice clearly through the phone.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Klaus hissed and stormed from the room.

I followed him at what I thought was a safe distance. I spotted Kol on the other side of the hallway who was also eavesdropping, apparently. He put a finger to his lips telling me to stay quiet.

"Stay where you are," Klaus ordered. "I'll handle it."

"Everything alright?" Kol asked.

"It will be," Klaus told him. "Provided you found a solution to this little quandary of ours."

"Well, I might have," Kol said. "I'm not sure you're gonna like it though."

"I'm not sure we have a choice," Klaus pointed out walked past Kol towards me. He put his arm over my shoulders, formally involving me in the conversation. "What is it?"

"There are things that we need from the lycée which means we need it clear of Finn," Kol explained. "There's only one thing that will distract him for long enough."

"What's that?" Klaus asked. I could feel him growing impatient next to me.

"If you tell him where to find our mother."

Klaus huffed. That was not the solution he had been hoping for.

Suddenly I felt as though I were starving. Which I couldn't have been because I had just drank Klaus's blood minutes ago. Still, my throat was dry and with each of Kol's heartbeats, I wanted to tear him apart. With the hunger came weakness and my knees gave out. I clutch Klaus's arm and he held me up. "Niklaus," I said. I felt like crying.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

"I've never felt hunger like this before. I feel like I'm going to faint." As I spoke the room swam in front of me.

Klaus swept me up. "You just fed. This doesn't make any sense." He ran through the house, carrying me bridal style, and burst into the room with three vampires I hadn't been introduced to. "Why do all the vampires seem to think it's lunchtime?" he asked.

"I don't know," the one with a shaved head answered. He seemed to be suffering the least aside from Klaus so I assumed he was the oldest.

"It's like supersize hungry," said the younger male. "And there's an all you can eat werewolf buffet right through those doors."

Klaus turned to me. "Why is Finn's magic affecting you now?" he asked.

"He must be cursing the house," I whimpered and buried my face in his neck. I wanted him because I needed him and the last thing I ever wanted was to need him.

He sets me down in one of the chairs and orders the oldest to look out for me before leaving the room, holding his phone.

"I'm Marcel," said the one Klaus had spoken to. "That's Josh and Gia," he pointed out the boy and the girl. "I don't think we've met."

"We haven't," I snarled. I hated that phrase. We haven't met so you're not going to offend me, why bother being polite? "I'm Anna."

"You're a young vampire," he commented. "You're affected the worse out of anyone."

I didn't respond. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for Klaus to get back.

He kept talking, though. "How do you know Klaus?"

I wanted to tell him that if I wasn't hungry I'd drive a stake right through his heart. I killed killers. I remained silent though, biting my tongue. I didn't know any of the vampires in the room and wasn't about to try my luck by trusting them. I continued to scowl while Marcel ordered Josh and Gia to look after things in the courtyard. Finally, Klaus returned with Kol.

"Talkative friend you've got here," Marcel commented.

"Yes, she hates vampires," Klaus grinned.

"Well, things are getting testy out there. Come on, we better move this along," Marcel said and dismissed Klaus's comment.

"Vincent's boundary's too strong, but what Davina and I can do is cast a disruption spell. It would temporarily neutralize all magical objects, including the compound itself," Kol said. "If it works then it will give us sixty seconds to escape whilst the boundary is shut down."

"Alright, that sounds good to me," Marcel readily agreed to the plan.

"That's all magical objects," I pointed out. "Our rings won't work. We'll be incinerated."

"Unless you wait until nightfall," Klaus suggested.

"I'm going to kill someone if I have to wait until nightfall," I told him. I barely lasted the first hour.

The vampires considered my point. "So the werewolves leave," Marcel decided.

Kol left to lay the spell with Davina and Marcel joined his vampire ranks. I could tell that he was scheming, but I couldn't help myself from interrupting.

"Niklaus. We need to fix this," I said.

"I know, Anna, you'll be alright," he replied.

"No!" I growled and found the strength to stand. "I can't rely on you all the time. Right now I need you and it's eating away at me. I can't spend eternity relying on someone else! You tell me when to kill. When not to kill. You bring me food and carry me around the house. It's bullshit!"

"Anna, darling, I get that you're upset, but this is just one incident. You've only been here a few days," he tried calming me, but it had no effect.

"Don't patronize me! Whatever this is; it's wrong," I said. This referring to the dynamic of me and him.

He looked at me with what I thought was confusion. "Friends help each other," he said simply.

"That's what we are?" I scoffed. "Friends?"

In less than a second he had closed the space between us and crashed his lips into mine. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he ran his tongue across my bottom lip. I expected him to be coarse and rough, but his lips were soft and even with his tongue between my teeth he was gentle. Startled at myself, I pulled away. I kept my hands on his arms, not wanting him to leave completely when a fight in the courtyard broke out. Someone had gotten cut because I could smell the blood. Instinct took over and I moved to leave the room. As I swerved around Klaus, he held me back.

"Stay here," he whispered in my ear. "Kol's about to do the spell. I'm going to leave with the wolves. But I'll come back to you, I promise. I need you to watch out for Kol. I don't want him dead, not yet, but he needs to pay for betraying Rebekah."

"Got it." I held onto him for a second longer before letting him disappear. When he was out of my sight and cursed and mentally slapped myself. What had just happened? He kissed me and I liked it. Liking it wasn't surprising, but the fact that I wasn't morally opposed to it was. I waited and listened for a cue that it was safe to go outside. Klaus had stopped shouting so I took a peak at the courtyard. Kol was bleeding from his forehead and the vampires were advancing. I ran towards him, grabbed his hand, and dragged him upstairs where I threw him into the room. "You'll be safest in there," I said. "Barricade yourself in."

Kol did as I told him while I sat on the balcony with my back against the door. I sighed. We still had hours until nightfall and even then the barrier might not be broken. Minutes dragged on in painful silence.

"Kol?" I called through the door.

"Yes, little hunter?" he responded.

"Are there any books in there?" I asked.

There was a moment of shuffling around and then a "yes" floated across the doorway.

"Can you read to me?"

Kol chuckled. I could hear him sit down and open the book. Then he began to read.


End file.
